With over 500 million users and 925,000 new users daily, Google+ is the second largest social network. While it is often overlooked and misunderstood, there is no denying that it is set to be the biggest and best place to connect with your target audience into the future.
Google+ is a social network, designed and built by Google, to better connect brands with users and encourage conversations about products and services that will in turn generate greater consumer-brand engagement.
While Facebook has one billion active users and currently presents the greatest opportunity for communicating with consumers, Google+ is quickly making ground on Facebook’s numbers and, considering the fact that there are less brands currently active on Google+, the landscape is prime for SMEs to establish a foothold on the growing social platform.
The Infodec Communications team believe that Google+ is an important, fast-developing platform for business communication—a great way to further expose and develop a brand, showcase the benefits of a product or service and generate productive engagement with customer-clients, whether they be existing or prospective.
We’ve put together this article to help clear up some of the confusion when it comes to getting started on Google+ and help operators of SMEs better understand the benefits of and strategies for making the most of this powerful communication tool.
Here are some tips for productive use of Google+
Tag others on Google+ in your posts. Tagging an individual or business is one of the best ways to get noticed and encourage interaction. Tagging someone will alert them to your post and, most importantly, your existence. In a way that is very similar to Twitter, a conversation between you and someone with a lot of followers will expose you to their audience as well.
Post on ‘Community’ pages. Communities on Google+ are made up of a number of people who share a common interest. If you happen to be a partner at a law firm, it is best to contribute valuable content to communities that focus on law, ethics or politics. Beginning conversations with members of these communities can expose your business and showcase your expertise in your professional field.
Use Google+ events for promotions & launches. By making a Google+ event, your social contacts will receive an e-mail informing them about the event and any of those who accept the invitation will have the event automatically noted in their calendar. Use this function to promote product launches, promotions and any other special event.
Too long for Twitter? Google+ is a great platform for writing a long post, then cross-posting links to the post via Twitter and Facebook. It’s a good idea to cross-post your content anyway—broadening the number of channels engaged and, by extension, your audience.
Keep those key words in mind. Key words have always been important when it comes to SEO. Jump into the mind of your target audience; consider what words they will most likely be using when searching for the content you deliver. Think of it as using the right bait for the right fish.
Take advantage of Google+ text styles. Something that sets Google+ apart from other social platforms is the ability to use bold and italicised text in posts. When used well, these seemingly simple options can really grab a reader’s attention and stick their eyes to the page, your message and brand for longer.
Share the news. Be sure to promote the fact that your business is a part of Google+, the second largest social network with over 500 million users and growing fast. Include links to your Google+ page on your website, CV, Facebook page, Twitter bio, or company brochure.
Including images is a great way to generate more attention for your Google+ post. Here is a useful infographic that highlights some of the need-to-know facts about Google+ and business.
The communications experts at Infodec can answer any questions you may have about further promoting your business online. The marketplace of the digital age is constantly changing and it is essential for the competitive business to maintain its edge online. Contact Infodec Communications today to discuss strategy for your business.